B2B Influencer Marketing

The Value of Influence: Mass vs. Mastery|

2^nd B2B Connect Research Symposium

EMAC Annual Conference, May 2025

Working Group III: B2B Influencer Marketing

Thought Leader:

Raji Srinivasan, University of Texas at Austin

Panelists:

Ezgi Akpinar, Sabancı University

Tuba Yılmaz, BI Norwegian Business School

Aditya Gupta, Texas State University

Rupinder Jindal, University of Washington

Stanley Wang, Emory University

Outline

• What is B2B influencer marketing?
• Taxonomy of B2B influencers
• Challenge #1: Finding the ideal match
• Challenge #2: Measuring impact
• Future research agenda

The Power of Influencer Marketing is Growing

Influencer marketing market size worldwide from 2015 to 2025

(in billion U.S. dollars)

Share of marketing budgets spent on influencer marketing according to marketers and industry leaders worldwide as of January 2025

B2B Influencer Marketing

Why B2B Companies Shy Away

Because it feels like a B2C thing.

Not the Usual Vibe

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Not associated with cybersecurity tools,

analytics dashboards, or developer platforms.

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Many B2B brands hesitate because:

1

They think there's no such thing as a B2B influencer.

(Spoiler: There are. They're called thought leaders.)

2

They can't measure ROI the same way.

True, but would you ignore PR just because it's hard to track?

3

They're scared of being seen as 'too casual’.

Why B2B should care about influencer marketing?

The digital-first transformation in B2B marketing

https://profiletree.com/thriving-b2b-digital-marketing-agency-latest-news-key-stats-strategic-guide-2025/

Humanizing B2B brands has become more important than ever

1

The Age of AI Transformation

Challenges for B2B marketers in positioning brands in an AI-driven world.

2

Humanizing B2B Brands

The value of human touch in B2B brand interactions.

3

Building Credibility and Trust

Standing out with credibility and creating meaningful content experiences.

4

Authenticity and Influence

Partnering with relevant voices for authenticity and influence with buyers.

Where does B2B Influencer marketing stand?

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The Relevance of B2B Influencer Marketing is Increasing

Heightened by contemporary B2B buying behavior, where buyers rely on independent online research and trust content from experts and peers.

Transfer of Knowledge from Consumer to B2B Contexts

Current influencer marketing practices are not directly transferable from consumer contexts to B2B contexts.

Planned Adoption of Influencer Marketing

53% of B2B CMOs planning to use influencer marketing.

Budget Constraints

27% of B2B CMOs not using influencer marketing cite budget constraints as a reason.

What is an "influencer"?

1

Historical Context

We've always had influencers - they just weren't called that.

2

Traditional Definition

Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2022): It is a person who generates interest in something and inspires

or guides the actions of others. → anyone can be an influencer.

3

Modern Interpretation

”Influencer" often means someone (according to Robert Kozinets in "Influencers and Creators"):

• Build relationships

• Express a distinctive voice and image

• Share content that shapes others on social media

• Influencers don't need brand deals or large audiences to be influencers.

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The big shift:

Influence used to be quiet and personal.

Now it’s visible, scalable, and often tied to social media platforms.

What is influencer marketing?

"Online influencer marketing (OIM) is a strategy in which a firm selects and incentivizes online influencers to engage their followers on social media in an attempt to leverage these influencers' unique resources to promote the firm's offerings, with the ultimate goal of enhancing firm performance." (Leung, Gu, Li, Zhang, and Palmatier 2022, p.228)

"A tactic in which companies pay people (influencers), financially or in-kind, to produce on behalf of the brands and influence consumers' preferences and purchase decisions." (Karagür, Becker, Klein, & Edeling, 2022, p. 1)

It is conducted via a specific individual (influencer), rather than a faceless organization or brand (key difference from other marketing communications).

It's a value exchange: incentives for influence

Influence is catalyzed on social media.

Do we need a new definition for B2B influencer marketing?

B2C

Demands trendsetters and tastemakers

B2B

Requires credible expertise rooted in proven experience

Blurring Lines & Convergence

Some B2B influencers adopt engaging consumer-style formats. Some B2C influencers position themselves as experts

What does a B2B influencer look like?

With often established audiences and followers, they exert influence across diverse channels—ranging from broad social media presence and thought leadership events to direct meetings and industry forums.

Internal influencers

Firm

Firm-affiliated influencers

External influencers

Employee advocates/ Knowledgeable employee

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Distinguished customers

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Thought leaders/Industry experts/Subject matter experts

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Executive influencers

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Taxanomy of B2B Influencers

Content creators

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Employee advocates/Knowledgeable employees

Cisco trains its employees to be influencers

Lufthansa Group organizes corporate influencer training

Lara Sophie Bothur from Deloitte: One of the first full-time corporate influencers and a top LinkedIn creator (~337K followers), and shares tech news with Deloitte branding all over

Internal executives

• Small business owners promoting their brand on their own social media channels.

• Rachel Tobac CEO, SocialProof Security, Friendly Hacker, Security Awareness Videos and Live Training.

Distinguished customers/Prospective customers

• Cisco (2015-2025)– Cisco Champions Program

• Objective: IT Bloggers and podcasters review Cisco products. Developed the "Cisco Champions" program with incentives, exclusive events, and social media activations

• in 2015: generated 55,000 tweets about Cisco, wrote more than 200 Cisco-related posts on their websites and authored 100 posts on Cisco's blogs (generating more than 44,000 hits and over 8,000 social media mentions).

Cisco Champion Public Community

Cisco Insider Champion profile

Cisco Champion member tweet

Cisco Champions 2025 announcement

Industry experts (Expert influencers)/ Thought leaders

Sheri Hinish ("SupplyChainQueen")

Content creators

Tony Zhu (Light Boxes): Two Instagram accounts with 339K and 538K followers. Creates humorous videos that generate 1 inquiry per 1,000 views and a 3–10% conversion rate.

"Corporate Bro" (716K): Satirical Instagram influencer uses humor to engage audiences. Paid Partnership with Salesforce (255K), Lenovo, Slack, bravado sales

https://www.toprankmarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Influencer-Marketing-Report-2025-2.pdf

Key challenges in B2B influencer marketing

Key challenges in B2B influencer marketing: Finding the ideal match

Influencer programs should align

influencer’s strengths

with

firm objectives – based on the stage of the customer journey they aim to influence

REAS Framework

These are the core traits that determine how & where an influencer adds value:

REAS Framework

Applying REAS Framework: Chevron Lubricants

Objective:

Reposition engine oil from a price-driven purchase to a strategic decision.

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Challenge:

Communicate complex technical information to capture attention and educate skeptical technical audience (maintenance professionals and decision-makers)

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Solution:

Partnered with Bryan Furnace – a former heavy equipment operator and respected industry voice, known for the Diesel & Iron YouTube channel (63K+ subscribers) and host of The Dirt (38K+ subscribers).

Applying REAS Framework: Chevron Lubricants

Technical content was explained through storytelling, relatable explanations, roundtable discussions with Chevron engineers, and on-site footage from Chevron’s research labs.

Content was distributed on industry-relevant channels, company website and socials.

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“We knew the information we had to share was complex. So, we took an experienced, industry influencer and sat him down with our experts to unpack the stories in a way that our audience could relate to and clearly understand.”

Walt M. Collier, Americas Brand Manager for Delo engine oils and ancillary products

Applying REAS Framework: Chevron Lubricants

Results:

“The social content resonated extremely well with our target audiences and has consistently been Chevron Lubricant’s top-performing content since launch.”

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2025 B2BMX Killer Content Award for Best Influencer Marketing

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Applying REAS Framework: Chevron Lubricants

• R – Reach/Audience size� Niche reach is fine since it’s targeted.
• E – Expertise & Relevance� Deep practical knowledge of equipment use.
• A – Authority � Recognized and respected by the target audience.
• S – Social appeal� Communicated in a clear relatable way.

https://www.toprankmarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Influencer-Marketing-Report-2025-2.pdf

Key challenges in B2B influencer marketing

B2C = Short, individual, transactional.

• B2C influencer campaigns typically aim to drive brand awareness and immediate sales.

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Key challenges in B2B influencer marketing: Measurement of performance

B2B = Long, complex, team-based, relational

• B2B influencer campaigns need to be evaluated across the full customer journey, not just at the start or the end.

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What to measure? (beyond vanity metrics)

Future research agenda: B2B influencer marketing

1. Influence across the customer journey

• How do REAS traits perform at different stages?
• Which influencer types/messages work best when?
• Internal vs. external influencers — who works better where?

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2. Portfolio strategy

• What’s the ideal number and diversity of influencers?
• Should firms grow their own internal influencers?

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3. Measuring impact

• What performance gains should firms expect?
• How can we track real influence across the funnel?

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4. Content evolution

• When does emotional & lifestyle content enhance credibility and when does it backfire?

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Thank you!

2^nd B2B Connect Research Symposium

EMAC Annual Conference, May 2025

Working Group III: B2B Influencer Marketing

Thought Leader:

Raji Srinivasan, University of Texas at Austin

Panelists:

Ezgi Akpinar, Sabancı University

Tuba Yılmaz, BI Norwegian Business School

Aditya Gupta, Texas State University

Rupinder Jindal, University of Washington

Stanley Wang, Emory University